Cookie Dough and Mistletoe (Holiday Love #1)

Chapter One

“When are you making cookies?”

Rolling my eyes, I say, “Christmas Eve, like I always do, Rhys.”

Rhys glances over at me in the passenger seat. “Why didn't you make cookies to bring tonight?”

“Because Nora and Milo asked for a cheese ball.”

“Then what's with the wine?”

“It's a gift for the hosts!” My exasperation makes him laugh. “It's not funny. Don't you know basic etiquette?”

“I mean, don't cookies sound like a better host gift to you? Because they certainly do to me.”

It's my turn to laugh at my best friend. “You're incorrigible.”

“Aw, that's why you love me.”

I reach over and pinch his cheek. “Just be on your best behavior at their new house. No breadstick sword fights this time.”

He brushes my hand away. “Don't worry, I have no intention of doing that again.”

“Good.”

“Breadsticks make awful swords anyway.”

Letting out a sigh, I lean back in my seat. Leave it to my best friend to make jokes out of anything and everything. To be fair, he's been like this since I met him in elementary school. It was inevitable for him to never grow out of it.

With two days until Christmas, we have three holiday parties to attend. The first is tonight at Nora and Milo’s house. Tomorrow we’re going to his parents’ house to spend Christmas Eve with his family. Then on Sunday, it’s off to my parents’ house to see my family.

Ever since Rhys and I became best friends in the fifth grade, it’s been a tradition for us to join each other at our family holiday events.

While my parents were apprehensive about me having a boy as a best friend, they soon discovered they had nothing to worry about with Rhys.

He’s mostly a goofball with a kind heart and the utmost respect for me.

Which you’d never guess by the way he teases me.

“These cookies you’re going to make,” he says, “will they be of the chocolate chip variety?”

Smirking, I reply, “Perhaps.”

“Well, they’d better be or I’m not eating any.”

“That’s a straight-up lie and you know it.”

He snorts as he turns into the driveway, putting the car into park. “You can see right through me, can’t you?” He runs his fingers through his honey-brown hair.

“Always.”

“Okay, time to put the cheese ball on the table and watch everyone eat the cookies I’m sure Nora baked instead.”

I smack his arm before I get out of the car. “Don’t knock it till you try it!”

Their porch has a small evergreen tree on it, along with a gorgeous matching wreath that Nora made with the clearance supplies she bought after the holidays last year.

The faint sound of Christmas music comes through the front door when we approach, putting a smile on my face.

I love the holidays. Spending time with my family and friends.

Bringing joy to those we love with hugs and gifts.

Nora answers the door, holding a glass of wine that she almost spills while laughing. When she sees it’s us, she lets out a squeal, her curly black hair bouncing. “Oh my God, you’re finally here. And you brought wine.”

“And a cheese ball,” Rhys points out.

After elbowing him, I give Nora a quick hug before walking inside.

We’re only a few minutes late, but it seems like everyone else is already here.

I place the cheese ball on the table of food, then set the wine bottle inside the refrigerator before heading into the living room to mingle with friends.

Rhys and I met Nora and Milo in college. The two of them had already been dating since senior year in high school. These sweethearts finished getting their college degrees and got married two months later. It was evident from the minute I met them that they were meant to be.

Milo spots me from across the room and comes over for a quick side hug. “Is Rhys here with you?”

“Of course.” As if I’d forgotten to bring him.

“Awesome. I need to show him my new gaming setup in the basement.”

When Milo walks away to find Rhys, Nora comes over to me. “What was that all about?”

“Something about the new gaming setup.”

“Oh Lord.” As Milo and Rhys pass by us, she says, “Please don’t dilly-dally downstairs, we have company!”

Milo turns to blow her a kiss. “Don’t worry, dear, this won’t take long.”

“That’s what you said when you showed it to your dad!” She rolls her eyes and tells me, “I love that man, but he’s such a child sometimes.”

“No wonder he and Rhys get along so well,” I reply with a laugh. “By the way, it seems like you got the party started early tonight.” I gesture to her wineglass.

She lets out a giggle. “I know, right? I was setting everything up and decided to have a glass of wine while I was doing it. It kinda spiraled from there.”

“The last time I saw you drunk was at the Zeta Beta party.”

“Oh no,” she says, placing a hand over her eyes. “That was the worst hangover.”

“Yeah, we don’t need a repeat of that tonight.”

“As if you can talk!”

I let out a fake gasp. “Whatever are you referring to?”

“That one night at the club for your birthday, the summer before our senior year.”

“Hey,” I say, pointing a finger at her, “it’s not my fault everyone kept buying me drinks.”

“You kissed the quarterback.”

“Well, it could have been worse.” Like I could have thrown up on him right after, but thankfully I held my insides together until I got home that night. “Why are you so tipsy anyway?” Nora hasn’t been much of a drinker since college, just the occasional single glass of wine with dinner.

“Oh, that.” She finishes off the last sip of her wine and sets it down on an end table, then leans in closer to whisper, “Milo and I are going to start trying in the new year.”

I cover my mouth. “Oh my God, really?”

She shushes me. “Don’t do that. It’s a secret. We haven’t even told our parents yet. I don’t need my sister to spill the beans to them on Sunday over Christmas dinner.”

Holding up my hands, I say, “My lips are sealed.” Then I grin. “That’s so exciting, though.”

She grins back. “I know. We’ve been wanting to start a family for so long, but there were so many things we needed to do first. Now that we both have stable jobs and a house, things are on the right track. It just feels right, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that.” Nora and Milo were practically an old married couple when I met them, so it does seem like it’s been forever since they wanted to have children.

“So,” she says, a mischievous look in her eyes, “when are you and Rhys getting married?”

Of course she’s going to start with this again. Knowing how she gets when she’s drinking, it’s going to be even worse than usual. Making a face, I say, “Stop it.”

“Seriously, I think I’ll hear wedding bells in the near future.” She holds a hand up to her ear and giggles.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I say, “You know Rhys and I are just friends.”

“I’m just saying…”

“I know what you’re just saying.” Ever since we all met, Nora has been telling me how she thinks Rhys and I belong together.

She claims she has a sixth sense about those sorts of things, but I believe she’s full of it.

Just because he and I are so close, spend tons of time together, and live in the same apartment building doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be.

Sure, he’s cute and makes me laugh, but we’re friends. Nothing more.

I spend the rest of the night mingling with the guests, making small talk and catching up with what they’ve been doing over the last year since I saw them.

Every person here has something big happening in their life.

Nora’s younger sister Nina has a serious girlfriend.

Brynn, Nora’s childhood best friend, got married this spring and just found out she’s pregnant.

And Milo’s brother, Pauly, has a fiancée and their wedding is next summer.

Even though I’m in my late twenties, I never once thought I was missing out on anything.

After tonight, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m behind my peers.

I don’t even have a boyfriend, much less a fiancé or a husband.

And children haven’t been on my radar because I don’t have any of the above.

Should I be taking these things more seriously?

Or am I just going through a moment of FOMO?

That’s when I spot Rhys coming back from the basement.

He gives me a smile when our eyes meet and I realize something.

I may not be dating anyone, but at least I have such a good friend in Rhys.

I brush all the negative thoughts aside and choose to live in the here and now, drinking my wine and chatting with old friends.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Nora placing mistletoe over the front door. She thinks she’s being sneaky, but I know what she’s up to. Instead of calling her out on it, I continue to enjoy the party.

“So, was the basement all you hoped it would be?” I ask Rhys when he joins me again.

Rhys grins. “All that and more. I might have to see if I can rent the apartment next door to make my own.”

“I doubt Mrs. Pennington is planning on moving anytime soon.” She’s a fifty-year-old spitfire of a lady who runs daily and hosts weekly poker games for her friends. Mrs. Pennington isn’t going anywhere. “Besides, wouldn’t it be better to just get a house?”

“But if I had a house, I wouldn’t have you living across the hall.” He touches my nose with his finger.

This isn’t the first time he’s done this, but with the teasing from Nora and brief moment of jealousy over my peers, the friendly gesture makes my heart flutter.

Weird. We’ve always had a close-knit bond that includes hugs and thumb wars.

So why did that make me feel some sort of way?

Maybe because he’s always so sweet to me. I have no idea.

Brushing it off, I say, “Well, I think it’ll be a while before either of us can get a house, so you don’t have to worry about us not being neighbors.”

“That’s good because I need to get my cookie fix somewhere.”

“Hey! What about my company?” I ask with a hand on my hip.

“Oh, that’s a bonus,” he says with a wink. “You know I’m kidding. Your company is first, followed very closely by your baking.”

“Thanks, Rhys.”

An hour later, he nudges me and asks, “Do you think we should head out soon?”

I check the time and say, “Oof, you’re right.” It’s a bit of a drive to get home, plus I have to make a pan of green bean casserole for his family’s holiday dinner.

We go around the room and say goodbye to everyone. Nora hugs me tightly and says, “You two have a safe trip home, and a wonderful time at your family Christmases.”

“Same to you and Milo.” They have to spend most of tomorrow driving to see his family, since they live a couple of states away.

When Rhys and I get to the door, Nora says, “Hold it right there, both of you!” We turn to her and she points up.

Damn that mistletoe. I completely forgot about her hanging that up earlier.

She says smugly, “Okay, you know the drill.”

“Fine.” Indulging her, I stand on my tiptoes, pressing a kiss to Rhys’s cheek. “There. Are you happy now?”

She sighs and says, “That doesn’t count.”

Milo comes up behind her, wrapping an arm over her shoulder. “Nope. It doesn’t count unless there’s a connection of the lips.”

“And tongue action,” Nora adds.

Oh my God. They’re pushing this, aren’t they?

Before I can put together a reply that doesn’t make me sound like a terrible friend, Rhys says, “Come on, Hadley. Let’s give them a show.”

That’s when he places his arms around me, dipping me like the end of a dance in the movies, and presses his lips softly to mine.

I’m not sure how long it lasts, or if I manage to press back, because he has me back on my feet before what just happened even clicks in my brain.

When I look up and see him smirking, the two of us burst into a fit of giggles.

I grab his arm with my hand. “Dude, can’t believe you did that.”

He places that arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “Believe it, darling.”

Nora stares at the two of us, completely flabbergasted. After blinking a few times, she finally says, “Okay, fine. I’ll take it.”

---

Later that night when I’m home and about to go to bed, my phone pings with a message from Nora. I expect it to be a response to my earlier message letting her know we were home safe, but it’s not.

Nora: How was it?

Me: How was what?

Nora: The kiss!

Me: It was barely a kiss.

Nora: Your lips made contact. It was a kiss.

Me: The only reason it happened was because YOU put the mistletoe up.

Nora: Please. I might have been the instigator, but that wasn’t just a “forced to kiss under the mistletoe” type of kiss.

Me: There wasn’t even any tongue.

Nora: There didn’t NEED to be. You didn’t see what I saw.

Me: Oh yeah? And what did you see?

Nora: There was something about it that didn’t look like two friends goofing off. Sure, you both laughed about it after, but in the middle of it… I don’t know. I could sense something in the air, like the dynamic shifted when you kissed. You didn’t feel it?

I pause before replying. Was there something to it?

Or is she just trying to convince me that there was?

Rhys didn’t act any different on the car ride home or when he hugged me goodnight at my door.

Neither of us brought it up in conversation, but that isn’t out of the norm.

We rarely talk about how our friends and family are trying to set us up.

Why don’t we, though? Is it because we know that we’re only friends?

Or is there something else below the surface that we’re avoiding?

Was there something more to the kiss? I mean, yeah, his lips felt nice against mine, but it’s not like we were really kissing. And it barely lasted a second… or at least it only felt like a second. Maybe it felt short because I became lightheaded from being dipped suddenly.

Or maybe I’m just questioning everything because of Nora’s insistence that Rhys and I should be together.

In any case, I’m not going to dwell on it. And I certainly don’t want to keep this conversation going any longer.

Me: I don’t think so.

Nora: Okay. I still think so.

Me: I know you do.

As I climb under my covers, I smile thinking about how Rhys played into the charade. I have to say, I didn’t think Rhys had it in him. Then again, I wonder why he did it. He’s well aware of what Nora thinks and has always ignored it before. Why did he kiss me? Was it really a joke?

Or did he actually want to kiss me?